The Night of Feb. 26, 2012

A handout image shows security camera footage of Trayvon Martin at a convenience store in Sanford, Florida, February 26, 2012, just minutes before he was killed.

On a rainy evening last February, a 17-year-old named Trayvon Benjamin Martin left his father’s girlfriend’s home in a gated Sanford, Fla. community to buy snacks — a package of Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea — at a nearby convenience store during the NBA All-Star Game. On his way back, he was spotted by George Zimmerman, 28, an insurance claims adjuster and volunteer neighborhood watch organizer who suspected that he might be casing the gated community for burglary.

Against the advice of a police dispatcher, Zimmerman, armed with a Kel Tec PF9 pistol, followed Martin. An altercation ensued, and within minutes, Zimmerman’s gun had discharged and Martin — a high school junior from Miami — lay dead on his back.

What happened during those minutes has engulfed the nation in a fierce debate over race, violence and gun control. The focal point: Zimmerman’s claim that he legally defended himself from Martin under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statute, which allows a person with reasonable cause to believe they are being attacked to defend themselves using deadly force if necessary.